THE Voice has selected seven Loughborough College students to go forward to the next round – taking them a step closer to appearing in the singing talent show’s first outing on ITV in 2017.

Twenty young singers recently auditioned at the college for the chance to compete in the show with an audience of 300m in 180 countries.

Public Services student Jimmy Gooch, from Loughborough, will be joined by performing arts students Lucy Hooper, from Quorn, Katie Boyes and Kyara Chapman, music students Lydia Mason and Chantelle Harvey and events management degree student Charlotte Yates, of Sileby, who previously studied Performing Arts with the College – at this weekend’s second round of auditions in Birmingham.

With its signature spinning chairs, blind auditions to choose competitors on voice alone and celebrity coaches who have included Tom Jones, will.i.am, Kylie Minogue, Rita Ora and Boy George, the British show is about to switch channels after it had its last season on BBC this year.

At her first audition Chantelle Harvey, 18, chose to sing I Dreamed A Dream from Les Miserables in tribute to her uncle. “He passed away and it was his favourite song.”

Lydia Mason, 17, auditioned and reached the interview stages for The Voice last year. She sang Coolio’s Gangsta’s Paradise at her first audition. “I’ve never performed it before but my Dad heard me singing it at home and said he liked the song and I should give it a go.”

Lucy Hooper, 18, who has secured a place at the University of West London to study Musical Theatre, who chose to sing Megan Trainor’s Like I’m Gonna Lose You at her first audition, said afterwards: “I think it’s important to do as many auditions as you can. This is a competitive industry and you have to develop a mindset where you are prepared to fail a lot more than you succeed – but you always give everything your best.”

Loughborough College Creative Arts lead Emma Ledsam said: “We are very proud of our students on their success in progressing through to the next round of auditions for The Voice.

“This represents the culmination of a year of hard work and shows how far our students have come in that time.

“We have had a great year of productions. We have also hosted Britain’s Got Talent auditions and now have students honing their skills and succeeding on The Voice. We wish them every success.” Auditions for The Voice take place in Birmingham on Saturday, June 18.